Over Your Shoulder
by ringbearers-gaurdian
Summary: Set after the events of BOTH The Ninth Gate and The Club Dumas, cousins, Dean and Lucas Corso find themselves thrown into the mix of something neither of them understand and one of them has been to Hell. Occult business can be bad for your health.
1. Phone Call to the Devil

Authors Note: This has been bothering me for awhile. It's combination, of the book, _The Club Dumas _and the movie that was made about it, Johnny Depp's _The Ninth Gate_. In case your confused, Lucas and Dean are cousins(although they're in respect the same character)

* * *

Lucas Corso slammed the door to his apartment and turned on the light, looking around his apartment with disdain. He was restless, to say the least. He needed a change. Like La Ponte said, a difference of scenery. Things hadn't been the same for him since the Nine Doors job. Not the Club Dumas bothered him. Hell, occasionally, he'd meet with Balkan, to authenticate a Dumas book, or play chess and the two shared a secret grin. But the Nine Doors of the Shadow Kingdom had left a bad taste in his mouth.

He'd been contemplating something he never thought he'd do again. He was contemplating, contacting his cousin, the last of his living family. A one Dean Corso. Who was also in the rare books business. It would be...interesting to say the least if he did. But the way Lucas figured it, he had nothing to lose.

Dropping his bag in the chair by the door, he turned the locks and shrugged out of his coat, dropping it over the canvas bag that contained most of his precious possessions. He headed towards the kitchen, grabbing a tumbler from the cabinet and the bottle of Bols gin from the back of the counter, pouring a sloppy drink. He took a long gulp and sit the glass down, taking a crumpled cigarette from his pocket and lightening.

One of two of his phones was sitting on the kitchen counter and Lucas stared at it for a long moment. Sighing, he moved over to it, and picked it up. His fingers lingered on the numbers and he swallowed back his own pride. It wouldn't be pretty. He and Dean had parted on bitter terms. In fact, Dean was probably likely to tell him to go to hell.

Lucas smirked. That would only make him a hypocrite. If anything, Lucas had kept up with Dean's career and knew his younger cousin's dirty little secret. He was have tempted to use it against him, but one fact remained. Dean WAS the only family Lucas had left alive. Why end it so damned hard, things were already bad, no need to make them blacker. So with a breath, he dailed the number. He waited silently as the phone rang, counting them.

* * *

Dean fell back against the wall, grabbing the phone as he looked over his shoulder at the red head in the other room. He fought down his grin, before answering, but the way she was looking at him, only made him grin more.

"Corso." He answered.

"Ditto." The voice on the other end said.

Dean lost his grin completely and growled in reply. "Lucas."

"Evening, Dean." Lucas said on his end. "Actually, I suppose it's afternoon for you."

"What the fuck do you want?" Dean growled.

"Oh, just checking to see if you're still alive and kicking." Lucas replied. "Which I suppose you are, if you're on the phone. Much better after your trip down south."

Dean turned from the bedroom doorway, gripping the phone in a tight hold. "What the fuck would you know of that?" He demanded.

"You'd be surprised." Lucas replied dryly as he stared out his kitchen window.

"What's the purpose of this call?" Dean asked, the angry tone still to his voice.

Lucas was silent a long moment, contemplating his answer. "You do realize, that we're the only family each other has, right?" He asked.

"Sadly, I haven't forgotten!" Dean replied.

"Right, well in case you haven't figured it out. I might as well, stay in some what contact with you."

Dean sighed, irritably. "You couldn't just leave me alone?"

"To much has happened, in BOTH our lives to just drop off the face of the earth from eachother." Lucas replied with a hard tone.

"And what would you know about living!" Dean hissed back.

"What would you?" Lucas snapped. Dean shut his mouth. Lucas didn't need to know about what Dean had. He'd ruined it before.

"Look," Lucas said. "I'll be in New York next week. We might as well meet up for coffee."

Dean shook his head. He didn't know what made him say it, but Lucas was right, to much HAD happened to Dean. "Fine, call when you get here. Good bye Lucas." He hung up before Lucas could say anything else.

"Dean?" A soft British voice asked from the bed room. Dean turned into the door way, leaning against the frame. For a long moment, he looked at her. Nearly four years it took to get them together. Two of which he spent in hell, every agonizing moment thinking of her. And she'd been his assistant before it all happened. Dean snorted silently, glancing heaven ward a moment. "It's nothing Cee, just my asshole of a cousin."

Cearea Dawn raised an eye brow. "You never told me you had a cousin, Dean." She said, from sitting in the middle of the bed, papers spread about her.

"No? Well I guess I just did." Dean replied, grinning slightly as he came towards the bed.

"Yes, you did. And you didn't sound very happy to hear from him." She said, looking up at him.

Dean looked at the porcelain doll sitting in his bed, with her long deep red hair and her pale skin. "I'm not, but I guess I'll live." He said, sitting down on the bed and looking out the window.. She peered at him over the top of her reading glasses, her green eyes studing him. Dean turned his eyes from the window to look at her.

"Don't worry about it, baby." He said finally, leaning forward and catching her lips before she could say something, kissing her. She shook her head as he got up. Dean headed towards the kitchen, grabbing the bottle of scotch as he passed. Taking a glass from the cabinet, he pour a glass and moved over to the kitchen window, staring out at the New York landscape. Something, something Lucas's tone had caught him. There was a change coming, he could feel it, and he wasn't sure if he was happy about that or not. All he knew is things were about to heat up


	2. Drawn and Quatered

Authors Note: Not sure what made me write two chapters in less then two hours, but I tendto do so.

I do not own Lucas or Dean Corso. They belong to their respected creators and I just...borrow them from time to time.

Do not own _Black Friday _by Steely Dan

* * *

Lucas hung up the phone, finishing off the rest of his drink and moving back into the living room. He walked behind his desk and picked up the old and tattered verson of _The Devil In Love_. There were times he wondered where Irene was. It had been a bitter sweet moment, the morning he woke up and found her gone.

There were no hard feelings though. Lucas had known it was going to come, he'd just tried to ignore it. But with her passing, someone else entered. A young woman had entered the scene, moving into the vacant apartment, just after Irene had disappeared. She was a literature teacher at the local college and had moved from Yorkshire, England to work in Madrid. It had been slow, but she and Lucas had grown close, to say the least.

As if reading his thoughts, a knock came to his door. Lucas put the book and his glass down, heading over to the door and undoing the locks. Alexandra Carnahan turned to look at him as he opened the door. Her sweet smile graced her lovely face a moment, before she spoke. "If you keep breaking our dates, to go on your little deals, I may have to tie you to a chair." She said, leaning forward and stealing a kiss. Lucas grinned slightly behind her kiss and grabbed her arm gently, pulling her through the door, closing behind her.

"Now wait a moment," Lucas said, pulling back from the kiss. "I told you, I was going to Paris." He cocked his head to the side.

She smiled again and replied. "But you didn't take me with you."

"Is that all this is?" Lucas asked, watching her as she pulled her auburn hair tighter in it's pony tail.

"Maybe." She said, her blue grey eyes sparkling. She held up a bottle of wine and winked. Lucas started to grab her by the waist, when she slipped past him, going towards his kitchen.

"I'm gone less then a week and this is how you treat me?" Lucas asked, with a mock pout.

"As I said, you didn't take me with you?" She answered over her shoulder, grinning as she entered his kitchen.

He stopped in the doorway, leaning against the frame, watching as she took two glasses out of the dishwasher and opened the bottle of wine. "Yes, well, I'll be leaving again." He said, taking in her small frame, with it's short height.

"Where to this time?" She asked, looking up as she poured the wine.

"New York. Next week." He answered as she passed him a glass.

"Another deal?"

"Yes and no." Lucas sighed. "My cousin lives there. I figure...it's time to make amends."

Alexandra raised an eye brow. "For what?"

"Old wounds." Lucas gestured it off, taking a drink.

Alexandra shook her head. "Keep you're secrets, Lucas."

In Lucas's life, there had only been one other woman to use his first name. That had been Nikon. And she had left a bitter scar on his heart. He imagined he'd felt much the same way Dean had when Lacy had walked out on him, for Lucas. THAT had been a careless fling, and there was no love between him and Lacy. So it was only cruel irony that Nikon broke his heart.

Yet here was Alexandra, and Lucas hadn't been able to help but fall hopelessly in love with her, and vise versa. They never looked past tomorrow with their relationship, living it by the moment. Alexandra had suffered as bad, if not worse, heart break in the past. As much as she wanted marriage, she didn't want to push Lucas. But Lucas was feeling a little more comfortable with the idea.

And that's what made him ask. "Come with me?" Alexandra looked up at him, surprised. Lucas never asked her come with him when he was on a deal, even though Alexandra had a great love for Antiquarian and rare books.

"Are you serious?" She asked softly.

Lucas nodded. "I figure, why face Dean alone." He said absently in to his glass but in reality, he was silently begging for her to say yes.

"Of course I will." She responded. She sat down her glass, closing the difference between them. "Who knows, maybe I'll see MY cousin, Cearea, there. Though I really think she's still in London, but who knows, it's been a long time since I talked to her." Alexandra waved it off as she usual did when she rambled. Lucas smirked and shook his head, sitting his glass down and reaching out, pulling her to him. He felt this was important. In more ways then one.

* * *

Dean flipped through the book as he stood at the counter of the Fire Fly bookshop. He was, more or less, in his own little word at the moment, which was only accented by the fact that he was singing under he breath. 

"_When Black Friday comes  
I'll collect everything I'm owed  
And before my friends find out  
I'll be on the road."_

Rhett Francesco came out from the back room and looked at Dean for a long moment before snorting. Dean looked up, but didn't stop singing.

"_When Black Friday comes  
I'll fly down to Muswellbrook  
Gonna strike all the big red words  
From my little black book."_

Rhett shook his head but couldn't help but grin as he found himself continuing the song.

"_Gonna do just what I please  
Gonna wear no socks and shoes  
With nothing to do but feed  
All the kangaroos."_

"You know that songs never been more right." Rhett said after a moment as he leaned on the counter. Dean grinned a crooked a grin and finished.

"_When Black Friday comes  
I'm gonna dig myself a hole  
Gonna lay down in it 'til  
I satisfy my soul  
Gonna let the world pass by me  
The Archbishop's gonna sanctify me  
And if he don't come across  
I'm gonna let it roll."_

"It's gonna take more then Archbishop to sancitfy you my friend." Rhett said with a pointed look.

"I'm just waiting for the Pope." Dean answered, shutting the book.

"I bet you are." Rhett said, glancing up the stairs of the spiral stair case as Kali Ember came down it.

"What are you two talking about?" She asked, pulling her strawberry blonde hair into a pony tail.

"Dean's soul, or the lack there of." Rhett answered. Dean gave Rhett a dark look and turned, leaning against the counter to look at the front door of the shop he'd been in thousands of times, from the time that it was Bernie's till now, when Kali had bought it.

Kali frowned and looked at the man she'd once had as a lover. She and Dean had gone their sperate ways when he disappeared with out saying goodbye. Sometimes she wondered what Cearea saw him in, but then Kali had always known Cearea was in love with the bastard, even when Kali was sleeping with him. And she and Cearea were best friends, go figure. And sometimes she wondered if Dean even still had a soul.

But he had changed. He'd learned there was more to life then just money. And she had to admit, he was devoted to Cearea. He'd risked his life, taking a bullet for her. Kali had done the same for Rhett, the man she loved.

"Where's Cearea?" Rhett asked after a moment of silence.

"Up stairs, putting some books up." Kali answered, glancing up the stairs. Dean said nothing but slipped past her, heading up the stairs. Kali turned to Rhett, who grinned, curling his finger for her to come closer. Kali followed, grinning herself.

Cearea pushed her dark red hair behind her ear as she slipped the book into it's place and stepped back. Straight into a pair of arms. She smiled slightly and leaned back against Dean. He rested his chin on the top of her head, which was quiet easy, seeing as she was much shorter then him.

"You know, we have to stop meeting like this." Dean muttered.

"Yes, but if I didn't know better, I'd think you'd planned every step of this." Cearea replied, still smiling.

"Only part of it." Dean answered.

"Which part?" Cearea asked. Dean turned her to face him.

"The better part." He answered, looking into her eyes.

"We're gone!" Rhett called from down stairs as he and Kali headed for the door.

"Fine!" Cearea replied, shaking her head. "I don't know who's worse, us or them." She said softly to Dean.

"Oh us, most definitely." Dean grinned, stealing a kiss. Cearea wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back. "You know I love you, right?"He asked softly as she pulled back after a moment.

"Mhmm." She nodded, brushing the hair back from his face.

"Good, cause I love you." He said.

Cearea was about to reply when the sound of the door got her attention again. She frowned. "Kali should have locked it." She muttered, pulling out of his arms. Dean frowned at the interruption, but followed her to the stairs. Cearea descended them slowly. A man was standing at the counter. He was tall, with black hair and pale skin. He was looking at the same book Dean had been looking at earlier. He was dressed in an expensive tailor cut suit. It wasn't unusual for the bookshop to get wealthy customers, but this one unnerved Cearea. There was an air of darkness around him. Even Dean could feel it and he moved closer to Cearea as they came off the last step.

"Can I help you?" Cearea asked.The man looked up as Cearea moved behind the counter.

"I should hope so. I'm Thomas LiVed."

"What can I do for you, Mr. LiVed?" Cearea asked cautiously.

"I'm looking for a book, a very...rare book." He answered, eyes sparkling in that way Cearea hated.

"And that would be?" Dean asked, one step ahead of Cearea.

"The Malatrium." The man answered.

"I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that one." Cearea said softly, looking at the counter rather then at the man. But the man met Dean's eyes. Dean had HEARD of the book, to say the least, but he didn't want anything to do with it.

"You're aware the book doesn't exist..." Dean said slowly. The man just grinned, a dangerous, dark grin.


End file.
